On Friday, September 19th, 2008 this is the HNC Birding Report: STORM PETREL SP.
American Wigeon Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Ring-necked Duck Scaup Sp. Long-tailed Duck Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Red-necked Grebe Great Blue Heron Green Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Osprey Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Broad-winged Hawk American Kestrel Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Solitary Sandpiper Lesser Yellowlegs Semipalmated Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Red-necked Phalarope Bonaparte's Gull Common Tern Caspian Tern Parasitic Jaeger Great Horned Owl Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Least Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird Red-eyed Vireo Tree Swallow Winter Wren Swainson's Thrush Northern Parula Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-White Warbler Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Wilson's Warbler White-crowned Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Another busy week here in Hamilton, lots of diversity and one very interesting but frustrating sighting. East winds yesterday were brisk bringing hope to many standing at VanWagners Beach. At approximately 2:30 p.m. two birders spotted what appeared to be a STORM PETREL out in the choppy waves. The bird dropped to the water and could not be refound, possibly a hurricane waif from Ike. East winds are here again today although light and Sunday/Monday promises more so perhaps something else will crop up. In the meantime, more excellent birds are to be seen at the beach. Yesterday, PARASITIC JAEGERS were seen and distant Jaeger sp. were also noted. Common Tern, Caspian Tern, Bonaparte's Gull, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Scaup Sp., Long-tailed Duck, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, Sanderling and a lone White-crowned Sparrow were among birds seen this week. Still more to come with more jaegers, Sabine's Gulls, Kittiwakes etc. etc. Across the road at the VanWagners Ponds a walk down the rail trail produced, Pied-billed Grebe, Black-crowned Night Heron, Green and Great Blue Heron, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, our first Palm Warblers, Blackpoll and Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The waterfront properties were less active this week however Shoreacres/Paletta in Burlington reported Red-necked Grebe, many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Swainson's Thrush, Least Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Tree Swallow, Winter Wren, Blackpoll, Magnolia and Wilson's Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, and Northern Waterthrush. A fairly good hawk migration occurred in the week. Although we did not get numbers like Hawk Cliff, there were a few reported kettles of Broad-wings over Brantford and Shoreacres. Along the lake in south Burlington, Broad-winged, Sharp-shinned and Coopers Hawk, an adult and juvenile Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Osprey and a lone Common Nighthawk made their way on Tuesday. Some variety of shorebirds were seen this week in a few spots around the area. At the north island off Eastport Drive, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Semipalmated and Pectoral Sandpiper and Sanderling were all present last Sunday. At Tollgate Ponds a single Black-bellied Plover was seen on the berm. Another Black-bellied Plover was seen on the beach at Bronte. Out in Mount Hope a search for the elusive Buff-breasted Sandpipers came up short but American Golden Plover and a Baird's Sandpiper were seen just east of 6 on Airport Road. Out at the end of the Willows, pretty much inaccessible due to vegetation, a Stilt Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs and Red-necked Phalarope were reported. Out at Rattray Marsh in Mississauga a good variety of shorebirds were seen last weekend including, Semipalmated Plover, Stilt, Pectoral, Bairds,Solitary and Least sandpipers. In the odds and sods, a late Eastern Kingbird was seen on York Road this week. Great Horned Owl continues to hoot at a residence in Brantford and at the same location Sandhill Cranes could be heard calling early in the week. That's the news for the week. The OFO Conference will be here in two weeks! Report your sightings if you are in the area. Good birding, Cheryl Edgecombe 905-381-0329 HNC Hotline _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
